Raise awareness on pandemic
HC urges lawyers
The High Court yesterday requested lawyers, who are connected with virtual court functions, to work towards increasing awareness among people about the coronavirus pandemic.
It does not seem from the public gatherings at different places including markets that there is any pandemic in the country and therefore people need to be made conscious to contain the coronavirus spread, the HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim observed.
The bench made the observation while hearing a writ petition that sought its order on the government to immediately lock down the entire Dhaka city, excluding parliament functions and other necessary operations for at least two weeks in order to contain the pandemic.
The HC yesterday concluded the hearing and fixed today for passing order on the issue.
Advocate Manzill Murshid appeared for the writ petitioner while Additional Attorney General Murad Reza opposed the petition. Advocate Mahbubul Islam, a Supreme Court lawyer, submitted the petition as a public interest litigation through email to the HC on June 11.
He also requested the court to order the authorities concerned to ensure that city dwellers stay home, and that food and medicine are provided to the poor through local representatives during the pandemic.
In the petition, he prayed to the HC to ask that the authorities concerned procure within a period of one week sufficient quantities of "High Flow Nasal Oxygen Cannula" as per the recommendation of the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) to save lives of coronavirus patients.
He also urged the HC to pass an order on the government to arrange a fixed hospital for the treatment of health workers as per NATC recommendation within seven days and file a compliance report to this court.